Victoria - Tea Lounge

Time Out Says

We can thank the 7th Duchess of Bedford Anna Russell for inculcating our love of afternoon tea. In the mid 1800s, during the reign of Queen Victoria, it was customary to eat only breakfast and dinner. Duchess Anna experienced pangs of hunger in the afternoon and began ordering a private meal in her room of sandwiches and cakes. Once word got out, ladies of the court clamoured to join her, and thus was born this most English of traditions.

If you’re peckish in the afternoon, then Victoria Tea Lounge in Grand Heritage Doha has you covered. Afternoon tea service here features one of the city’s most generously sized three-tiered stands of savories and pastries. There are two options: a Victorian English set or an Arabic version. Both are served with a beverage of your choice.

The name of the meal suggests that one ought to order tea. And this is the lounge’s forte. An extensive menu describes in detail three dozen varieties of tea: white, black, green, semi-fermented and dark. You’ll find out about the flavour notes of each kind, the infusion time for the leaves and temperature of water used. It’s an aficionados dream come true.

We’re not sure if the pace of service is intentional, but we are antsy when our drinks arrive nearly half an hour later. Another 20 minutes lapse and our tummies start to growl a la Duchess Anna. We ask and are told the preparation takes a while because we hadn’t made a reservation. So call ahead.

When the food arrives, the presentation is quaint and befitting of our Victorian library surroundings. Each tray is laden with bite-sized indulgences. The common item in both is the scone, its texture airier and more crumbly than we’re used to. Plus they’re served with marmalade, a departure from the customary red jam.

While the western sandwiches are tasty, the Arabic set is more innovative, especially with three tarts of buttery French pastry filled with hummous, mouttabal and labneh respectively. The cheese sambousek gets two thumbs up.

The cosy tea lounge with its plush seating attracts quite a crowd for a weekday afternoon. We appear to be the only patrons perturbed by the fraying tablecloth in need of pressing, as everyone else is merrily clinking china and savoring their tea. And what a lovely pot of brew – the obvious high point of taking tea at Victoria.